Among Peloi
by Diva Urd
Summary: One-Shot. It has been almost one year since Mirtai's and Kring's wedding. How does the Atana cope with the nomadic life of the Peloi, with its foreign traditions and values?


Hello my dears! Here, once more, a little one-shot – this time about my favorite Character of them all, Mirtai. I hope you enjoy! And if you like this story, please also check out my others! And please leave a review! Thank you!  
  
AMONG PELOI  
  
"For the last time, Mirtai – I KNOW Agna and Tela have tried to poison you, but that was NO reason to kill Agna! Now, her husband will moan about this to me until I have given him two of my best horses for compensation!"  
  
Mirtai, an Atana and the Doma of the western Peloi, sighed at her husband's exasperated speech.  
  
"Kring, I just repaid the favor. If it had gone according to their plan, I – and your heir! – would have been dead by now."  
  
Kring thought about this for a moment, his eyes wandering over his wife's bulging belly – she was in the last stage of pregnancy with their first child. Then, his face took on a slightly sheepish expression.  
  
"Of course you're right, my love. It was not in good taste of my oldest sister to try and poison you during your pregnancy, and her fate serves her right."  
  
He paused. "But next time, please just hurt the women – everytime you kill them, we are losing property."  
  
He opened the flap of their tent which served as an entrance, and closed it again behind him. He would be off to hunt ears for bounty. Mirtai would have loved to accompany him, for the urge to fight burned within her, but she didn't want to risk their child in battle. She would make up for it once their offspring was born – thankfully, Kring's mother was a very open woman, who was willing to break a tradition or two to suit her warrioress daughter-in-law and take her child when Mirtai wanted to go someplace; she had promised her that.  
  
Kring and her were nearing their first anniversary – in a few days, they would be married for a year.  
  
It had been hard for the Atana to get used to Peloi Tradition, and it still constantly tried her – she was a warrior, born into a society that did not place much importance on gender differences. In Peloi culture, however, women were not supposed to hunt, tame horses or fight. They kept all of their husband's properties, so that they wouldn't be a burden to the men, but Mirtai wasn't interested in those things.  
  
Kring, again thankfully, was not your typical Peloi man, either. He did not find anything wrong with her doing 'manly' things at all. However, it earned her a lot of queer looks, and she did not exactly succeed in making herself friends with her behavior either.  
  
The hatred of Kring's sisters, though, did have other reasons. They were after Kring's property – a common sentiment among sisters of an unmarried, rich man like Kring had been. Some of them hoped to be able to dispose of Mirtai before they got married off.  
  
The Atana and Kring's mother Dalere had managed to marry four of them off to various suitors, who didn't care that their women would not bring any property of their own, for they were beautiful and young. The other four sisters, however, seeing themselves being married to the first man who would ask for their hand, as they did not possess beauty nor riches, put all their hopes into killing their new sister-in-law. It was normal for a woman of Mirtai's status to have all her foods tasted first (which Mirtai did), and to have a guard at her tent at all times (which Mirtai didn't – even highly pregnant, she trusted herself enough to get rid of a paid assassin), Dalere had explained to her daughter-in-law-to-be during the two months Mirtai traditionally had to spend in her tent.  
  
This particular attempt had been initiated by one of the unmarried sisters, Tela, and Agna, whom they had just found a husband for a couple of months ago. Agna had not been very happy with the man they chose – he was far too poor for her exquisite tastes, and obviously, she had hoped to acquire more property and to regain her former standards by killing Mirtai. But she had been clumsy – the Atana had smelled the poison in her soup even before somebody had to try it, and it had not taken long to find out who the would- be murderesses had been.  
  
And Agna's punishment had been just. According to Peloi law, she had not been permitted to try and poison a pregnant woman, no matter what the reasons. The nomads considered their children to be an asset which had to be protected. However, the usual punishment, a severe flogging with a leather whip, seemed to be just a little mild, the Atana thought.  
  
Oh well – the matter was being settled by Kring leaving some of his horses to Agna's husband. She knew he would not be cross with her about this matter anymore – and she made a silent promise to him that she wouldn't try and kill any of his sisters anymore; it wasn't that Kring was very fond of them, however, he was very protective of his – HER – property.  
  
If the Domi could put up with her riding and fighting (in most cases better than any of the band's men), she could put up with some silly women making futile attempts on her life. After all, they wouldn't succeed anyway, so it didn't matter.  
  
She looked down at her belly, mellow feelings with just ahint of exasperation welling up within her.  
  
"I love you, you know, but I wished you would come out of there soon," she quietly said, a smile on her face. "Your mother is getting impatient to see you."  
  
And so were Kring, Dalere and all of the western Peloi. The heir to the title of Domi, the highest leader of the nomads – and it was the first time that his mother wouldn't be of the Peloi. Many of Kring's supporters were hoping for a strong, healthy boy, and so was Kring himself. The Atana had told him that it was very rare for an Atan woman to give birth to a disabled child, and unheard of to mother a weakling. Her statement had been appreciated, for in her enlarged belly, the baby moved around, kicked and for all matters seemed perfectly alright. The only chance that Kring's wish would remain unfulfilled was that the child was female.  
  
If, however, the child fulfilled the requirements to be the heir of the Domi, there would be a great feast, which would last seven days and seven nights; all the Peloi would contribute meat from their herds, and all the women, aside from the mother of the child, would cook in the boy's honor. Dalere already became all shiny-eyed when she felt the baby kick against Mirtai's stretched belly skin from the inside; she would be the one to organize the feast and bask in the glory of being grandmother to their next leader. She would also be the midwife at the birth of her son's first child; after this birth, Mirtai would be allowed to choose.  
  
The Atana sat down on the pile of blankets that served as their bed. Life with the Peloi was not easy for her, but she nevertheless felt that it was worth it. And soon, the band would accept her as she was, she was quite sure of that. Some of her male adversaries had come to admire her prowess and skill to fight unarmed – and they accepted the fact that she was not a very good rider, although she kept herself in the saddle and knew how to tame horses. Soon, that notion would spread, for most of the Peloi men were not intentionally set against women doing men's work; after the initial shock had died down, most of them would not scoff at working with the Atan Doma.  
  
After having been a slave for most of her childhood and youth, she had finally found friends, love and a home. Mirtai was happy, and that was all she could ever wish for.  
  
Outside, it had gone dark; one could tell through the material of the tent. The Doma decided to lay down in the bed; it wouldn't be long until Kring was home. She would promise him to not kill any of his sisters anymore, they would eat a small supper and then go to sleep.  
  
Soon, their child would be born... she didn't knew how she knew, but she knew that it would be all that Kring ever wanted. It would be male, it would be strong, and, after they were gone, it would be a capable leader to the Western Peloi.  
  
With these thoughts, she drifted off into a light sleep. 


End file.
